PREP BOYS WATER POLO: A Q&A with Murrieta Valley's Tristan Reinhardt

If one doesn't find him after school hours at the Murrieta Valley High's aquatics center, he's probably at an Orange County beach catching a wave riding on top of a surfboard.

"I think (water polo) might lose out to surfing," Murrieta Valley boys water polo coach Bryan Lynton said jokingly of his standout center. "He does a lot. He works out all the time. He's really dedicated. He does a lot more than a lot of other players do because he is involved in the national team and there's a big time requirement in the offseason there. It doesn't come without a price and that price is like sacrificing your free time and your Facebook time."

This past August, Reinhardt played on the United States national team's 16-and-under squad, which took part in the Darko Cucic Memorial Tournament in Belgade, Serbia. Lynton accompanied him on the trip as an assistant coach.

"He played in an eight-team tournament there," Lynton said. "We had five days of training with the Serbians. Then played Hungary, Croatia, Spain, Greece, Italy, Serbia. He got a lot of great experience."

The 6-foot, 190 pound Reinhardt heads a strong junior class that includes six of the Nighthawks' seven starters this year.

"He's a key point for us on offense," Lynton said.

Question:
This past summer you had the opportunity to go to Serbia as a member of the 16-and-under U.S. national team. Can you describe what the experience was like?

Answer:
You got to experience a whole different culture along with playing a sport in a different country. The European aspect of water polo is a lot of different from the American side of water polo. It was a good change and it was just fun to actually get to play.

Q
: Did you have any eye-opening experiences from your visit to Belgrade?

A:
Their food. Extremely different. I liked it, but some stuff I didn't like, so it took a little getting used to. Kind of a culture-shock kind of thing. It was really different from here to there.

Q:
Did you get to do any sightseeing when you were in Serbia?

A:
We saw some of the old castles, some of the moats that they have, the river that runs through there. We actually played our games in the river. They built like a course out of the river. They had stands built along the beach line. You could look over straight into the pool, you could see the seaweed coming up off the bottom that they trimmed. Like this cutter thing to make it lower. We played in that. Clear, crystal clear water. They had a giant jet fountain over to the left. It was this huge fountain shooting. It was dug out.

Q:
The year before, you were selected to the U.S. National training team instead of the travel team. Did that motivate you to work harder this past year?

A:
That gave me a true large incentive to come back, work harder throughout the year and then make the team the next time around. It really made me want to work harder as much as I can. I was out here every day trying to get better, as I am today. I am hoping to make it again next year.

Q:
Outside of water polo, your passion is surfing. How often do you get to hit waves?

A:
I like to get out when I can. Between schoolwork and water polo, I don't have much time. When I can, I try to find a couple hours to go out on a Sunday morning to go surfing. It's fun. It really gives you an outlet between water polo and school, having something else to do. It's fun.

Q
: Do you have a favorite surf spot?

A:
I like to go to Newport (Beach), (between) 54th and 56th (Street) a lot because they don't have a strong rip current and you don't have to paddle out that much. Usually I'm tired from practice, so I don't like to paddle too much. It's fun. It's a faster break, so you don't have to wait as long. More waves come through. It gets kind of choppy. It's still fun.

Q:
Since you are a water polo player, what age did you start swimming at?

A:
My dad (Kevin) would throw me into a pool when I was a baby. He'd watch me float. I would just kind of float there and swim and he'd pick me up. I learned how to swim when I was about 2 or 3 (years old).

Q:
Did you learn to swim before you learned to walk?

A:
Pretty close. I was in the water probably before I was walking. I have been in the water my whole life, pretty much.

Q:
Do you also competitively swim?

A:
Just water polo. I am not a fan of (team swimming). I don't like swimming laps. I like the ball, throwing the ball, shooting. It's fun. Having the team aspect and not just the individual.

Q:
I hear you help Coach Lynton with coaching youth teams in the offseason. Is that true?

A:
I help coach 10-and-unders, but I can't do that right now because I am in season. After the season, I plan on going back and helping. It's fun. Bringing up the new kids that are probably coming up later.

Q:
What do you enjoy about coaching?

A:
Watching them get better. Starting out, we had some kids (who were) not very good swimmers. Throughout the course of the year, you really saw like a time lapse of them being slowly, but surely getting stronger and better. Now they are starters on our 10-and-under team. Then (there's) also watching them go through 12s, 14s, 16s, and then to high school.

Q:
Last year, this team didn't win league outright. Are you guys really hungry to prove everybody wrong and to take it to the next level?

A:
This year, we are focused not only just on league title, but also on a CIF (SS) title ...

Q:
Last year, you were a young team with mostly sophomores. How have you have grown as a team since this time last year until now?

A:
With three seniors this year, and then mainly our whole team composed of juniors and a couple (of) sophomores, we're going to have a strong team this year. Maturity wise, we have all grown. And also playing wise, we have all grown. The game is going to be much faster for us. We're going to be thinking much faster. We have had another year to play with each other. We are going to be way more in sync than we were last year.

Q:
What are the strengths of this Murrieta Valley water polo team?

A:
I wouldn't want to give it away. You just have to wait until the season to see that.

Q:
What aspect of the game do you enjoy the most?

A:
Being with the team. Just hanging out with the guys. Being with them. These guys are like my best friends everyday. There's not like one time where I'm not with at least one of them. I guess the whole camaraderie of the whole team is probably the best part.